Picture frames



A. W- HUTSON PICTURE FRAMES Jan. 8, 1957 Filed'Aug. 6, 1953 United States Patent The present invention relates to improvements in picture frames, and contemplates certain further developments in connection with the picture frame disclosed in my pending application, Serial Number 355,645, filed May 18, 1953.

In the latter application it was proposed to make a picture frame consisting of four corner pieces and longitudinal molding strips removably secured thereto, which would make it possible to manufacture and market the corner pieces and the strips as individual units for shipping, storing and display at a great saving of space, and for easy assembling by the ultimate user in many difierent combinations.

In the present invention it is proposed to further exploit the idea, and more particularlyto provide certain I improvements in the corner pieces which will facilitate the manufacture thereof, and which will allow the frame to be assembled by simply telescoping the ends of the molding strips into the corner pieces.

It is further proposed to provide corner pieces preferably made of sheet metal and arranged in such a manner that each corner piece may be readily made of a simple metal blank by means of a few bending and folding operations.

It is a further object of my invention to provide and disclose a blank from which a corner piece may be made.

And, finally, it is proposed to provide certain improvements to facilitate the mounting of the picture and protective sheets in the frame.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds, and the new and useful features of my picture frame will be fully defined in the claim attached hereto.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 shows an isometric view of a corner piece made in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2, a rear view of a corner section of the frame;

Figure 3, a front view of a corner section;

Figure 4, a section taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5, a blank from which a corner piece may be made by simple folding operations; and

Figure 6, a plan view of a tab used in securing a plate assembly upon the frame.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should be understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claim hereto appended without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, my picture frame consists essentially of four corner pieces 1 and four molding strips 2 adapted to have their ends telescoped into the corner pieces.

The molding strips may be of any suitable design and cross-section, and the corner pieces are made hollow and shaped to correspond to the cross-section of the molding strips. The latter are preferably made of wood or plastic 2,776,568 Patented Jan. 8, 1957 ice material, while the corner pieces are preferably made of metal, although they may, of course, be made of any suitable material.

Each molding strip presents essentially a flat rear face 3, a fiat outer face 4, a more or less ornamental front face 5 and an inner face 6. A ledge 7 is cut into the molding strip at the inner rear corner in a conventional mannerto receive the plate assembly to be mounted in the frame, consisting usually of a glass plate 8, a picture 9 and a suitable backing 10.

Each corner piece is preferably made of sheet metal and presents a central corner section 11 and two channels 12 projecting therefrom at a right angle to one another. Each channel is made to fit over one end of a molding strip in such a manner as to leave the ledge 7 free to receive the plate assembly.

, More particularly, the corner pieces may be defined as comprising an outer wall 13 commensurate with the outer face of the molding strip and bent, midway of its length, at a right angle, as at 14; a rear wall 15 commensurate with the rear face of the strip and extending to the ledge, but not beyond the same; a front wall 16 commensurate with the front face of the molding strip; and a narrow flange 17 projecting over the inner face of the strip down to the ledge 7, but not beyond the same.

This corner piece may be readily formed from the blank 18 shown in Figure 5. The blank comprises a plain rectangular piece of sheet material having parallel upper and lower edges 19 and 20, and parallel side edges 21. The sheet has two fold lines 22 and 23 marked thereon, these fold lines running parallel to the upper and lower edges and defining an intermediate section 13' representing the outer wall 13 in the finished article.

The upper section 16' above the fold line 22, represents the front wall 16 in the finished article, and the lower section 15, below the lower fold line 23, represents the rear wall 15 of the finished corner piece. An additional fold line 24 is marked on the blank near the upper edge 19, to define a marginal section 17 corresponding to the inner wall 17 of the finished article.

A central ii-shaped crotch 25 is cut into the marginal and upper sections, and extends to the fold line 24, the edges of the crotch forming an angle selected with a View of producing the proper miter joint in the final product.

Two additional fold lines 26 are marked on the lower section 15' to form a desired angle about the vertical center line of the blank indicated at 27, the apex of the angle lying in the center of the lower fold line 23. At the line 27 the material is cut from the lower edge of the blank to the line 23. If desired, the sheet material may be out along the fold lines 26, to leave a V-shaped crotch. An additional fold line 28 extends vertically across the intermediate section 13 to connect the apexes of the two crotches.

In making the finished article from the blank, assuming that the material has been cut at the lines 26, the operator may first fold the lower section 15' upon the intermediate section 13 along the fold line 23, then fold the upper section 16 upon the intermediate section along the fold line 22, and finally fold the structure thus formed upon the fold line 28, at a right angle, which operation brings the edges of the two crotches together to form miter joints. The marginal sections 19 may be turned on the fold lines 24 at any time during the procedure.

It is apparent that the angles of the crotches will be selected to produce miter joints in the finished article, and will vary with variations in the angles formed by the upper and lower sections 15 and 16', with the intermediate section 13.

In case the material has not been cut along the lines 26, the small triangular sections formed on opposite sides of the cut 27 may be folded inwardly along the said lines to form abutments within the channels, which serve as stops for the molding strips when the latter are telescoped into the corner pieces. Stops may also be provided by folding the blank about a suitable corner block, indicated at 31.

For holding the picture assembly to the ledge of the frame, I provide an all-around slot 29 in the side wall of the ledge, spaced from the bottom of the ledge by approximately the thickness of the assembly, and provide a number of flat tabs 30; which may be made of wood or Pla tic, m e ia nd m ha hf Shown in Figure 6. The tabs correspond in thickness to the width of the 9T. an may be m nu Rushed m the st ell e he picture assembly without the aid of any tools.

In use, the customer may select a desired set of corner p ieees with a registering set of molding strips and ase Tt 'e h iece i a am thea a fl w ty- H ma he r i i he Pi u se -1 9 1 h ledge and secure the assembly in place by mere insertion of a number of tabs into the all-around slot 29.

I c a p ctsre r m f u s m a moldi ships am four separate corner pieces hollowed to allow the ends of the strips to be telescoped thereinto to form a rectangular frame, the strips b'eing solid in cross-section and having rear faces with registering ledges in the inner portions thereof, outer faces, front faces and inner faces adjacent the ledges, and the corner pieces being contoured to cover the said faces while leaving the ledges exposed for introduction of a picture assembly from the rear of the assembled frame, and the ledges having continuous slots behind the picture assembly and having fiat tabs insertible thereinto for holding the assembly to the ledges.

References Cited the file of this patent TED T TES PAT 838,816 Sherwood Dec. 18, 1906 996,915 Engelmohr July 15, 1911 1,202,321 Schleicher Oct. 24, 1916 2,581,843 Edwards Ian. 8, 1 952 20 2,633,653 Angus Apr. 7, 1953 

